LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD METRO-NORTH RAILROAD COMMUTER COUNCIL COMMUTER COUNCIL
Four Decades of Accomplishment
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD METRO-NORTH RAILROAD NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT COMMUTER COUNCIL COMMUTER COUNCIL RIDERS COUNCIL MTA Implemented
1977 Advocating for MTA riders for 40 years 1979 If you were living in New York City during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, you have vivid memories that the subways reflected what was going on in the city as it was plagued with crime, graffiti, derailments, track fires, failing signals, and cars and stations with conditions that only the brave dared to enter. Subway ridership at that time was 990 1981 million annually compared to 1.75 billion in 2016.
The years of system-wide disinvestment brought it to a near state of collapse. You had 1982 the strong sense that the “system was out of control”. In 1977, based on a recommen- dation in the MTA Management Study, former MTA Chairman Harold Fisher, created the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee (PCAC) to the MTA, as the official voice of MTA riders. This newly formed group gave riders a platform to comment and advise 1983 the MTA on service and policy issues. Riders of the three MTA operating agencies had long complained of declining service and the lack of accountability. Thus, the PCAC undertook research on a variety of rel- evant topics (see report list at pcac.org/reports) and made informed recommendations 1985 in an effort to improve service. In 1981, with the adoption by the NY State legislature of the first MTAfive-year Capital Program plan, PCAC members and regional legislators sought to ensure the average rider had input into the plan. As a result, the New York State Legislature enacted legislation which enhanced the representation of suburban riders with the creation of three independent Councils: Long Island Rail Road Com- muters Council (LIRRCC); Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC); and the New York City Transit Authority Advisory Council (now the New York City Transit Riders Council or NYCTRC). The PCAC has continued to scrutinize and monitor the 1986 capital planning process and its relationship to the performance of the system, and has tirelessly advocated for a stable and adequate funding source so the system would never fall into such a deplorable state again. 1988 Members are recommended by local officials to the New York State Governor who approves them to the Councils. The Councils hold monthly public meetings, undertake research projects, and maintain a support staff of transportation planning and data analytical professionals. In 1995, the New York State legislature again supported the 1991 riders by providing the PCAC with 3 non-voting seats on the MTA Board. Members are chosen by the respective councils to be their representative.
Over the last forty years the PCAC and Councils have worked with the MTA and its op- 1992 erating agencies to improve conditions for all riders. While the MTA has come a long way from the decay of the 1970s and 80s, recent events such as track fires, derail- ments, failing car equipment, overcrowding, signal failures, and drastically decreasing system reliability have made the role of the PCAC and its Councils even more crucial 1994 in representing riders.
PCAC, 2 Broadway 16th Floor, New York, NY 10004 (212)878-7087 www.pcac.org 199 PCAC and the Councils Through the Decades
199 1977 - 1989 Decades of disinvestment led to the fears of a complete system meltdown in the early 1980s. With near collapse looming, MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch pleaded with Governor Hugh Carey, members of the NY State legislature, and NYC Mayor Ed Koch to take action. As a result, the legislature passed the Transportation System Assistance and Financing 1999 Act of 1981, which gave the MTA authority to issue bonds to secure the necessary funding. In September 1982, the first five-year Capital Program was enacted to bring the system up to a “state-of-good repair”. The PCAC closely analyzed the capital planning process and reported on the adequacy of the proposed projects and their financing methods. The PCAC and Councils have continued to perform this important analysis in each successive funding cycle. During the 1980s PCAC advocated for and applauded implementation of Passenger Envi- ronment Surveys at NYC Transit and the two commuter railroads, wrote extensively about the importance of securing stable financing, promoted the notion of a “City Pass”, developed ways to keep the transit fare from increasing, and drafted the LIRRCC Commuter Bill of Rights. Throughout the decade, the PCAC and Councils provided riders with the ability to provide input by hosting public forums with MTA Board members, an all-agency President’s Forum, and producing annual LIRR Report Cards.